Anything But
by Hopeless-Tyronos
Summary: Set after the aparoid war. Fox has been on a drinking binge since the aparoids have been defeated, he became an alcoholic partying all night with whoever, he never saw what he did as something wrong, but it only took one night to change everything.


The smell of liquor was the first thing he noticed. Bottles of all shapes, sizes, and colors decorated the floor around him.

_'Damn it_.' He cursed himself, and his new addiction. Seemingly endless parties, heavy drinking, drunken fun, at first it wasn't too bad, he enjoyed being surrounded by friends celebrating their latest victory.

It started after the Aparoid war, drinking himself sober just to meet deadlines in his life. Eventually the deadlines got pushed back, forgotten under a sea of alcohol drifting further into the back of his hazy mind. Missions were still taken, money was still earned, and parties were still thrown.

But here it was now a year since the war, and the all night celebrations continued. Even now that music that had once soothed him, thumped through his body and mind, blinding it further from the peaceful confines of sleep. He rubbed his head, knowing his hangover would be as bad as ever. He closed his eyes, a mistake that cost him his footing. He fell over an unconscious Falco, cursing his inability to pass out on a couch. The room twisted in circles through Fox's closed eyes. Feeling around him Fox pulled himself to a wall and sat up.

"I have got to stop drinking." He promised himself, a broken promise, one he never followed through with. He knew it affected everyone, drinking made him a different person, he wasn't abusive but he wasn't quiet. He was a talkative drunk, and with that his logical thought disappeared like the alcohol down his throat.

A blur of color greeted his slowly opening eyes. He began to remember last night. Bits and pieces came to him, leaving his guilty conscience to fill in the parts between.

"Fox?"

The voice sounded so pure, so comforting. Fox didn't need to see the owner; he knew who it was, because the voice pierced into his heart, and filled it with self loathing and self pity.

"Krystal." He tried to focus on her, but his swimming eyes couldn't focus. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He felt her sit beside him. He could taste the disappointment coming off her, the hatred of what he did to himself after every single victory, and a few nights for the hell of it.

"I can't do this anymore Fox. I can't keep cleaning you up. It's too much." Krystal rubbed his head affectionately.

"I…" Fox knew it was hopeless, he knew the torment he put her through with his wild nights. He wanted to say that everything would be different, that we would change. It was a lie the last countless times he said it, how would now be any different? "I'm sorry."

"You've said that to me so many times, how can I believe you?" Krystal got up and looked at Fox. "I'm leaving."

Fox sobered up instantly. "Leaving? No, you can't! Where will you go?" He hated to sound so desperate.

"I'm going to live with Katt for a few a while, sort out my life from there." Krystal wasn't happy at her solution, but if it sobered Fox up, it was for the best.

Fox stared at nothing. He was losing his love, not that she knew, because of his lifestyle of late. It wasn't even the mercenary part that drove her away, it was him. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, not the parties, or the alcohol, not even the team. Fox had hit rock bottom. "_**Whose eyes am I behind? I don't recognize anything that I see**._" Fox looked at himself, he was a mess. He had no shirt on, beer stained shorts, his fur was unruly, and he smelt like whatever had been poured onto him sometime last night. "**_Whose skin is this design?_"** He made sure Krystal was still looking at him. "_**I don't want this to be the way that you see me.**_"

"If you wanted to make yourself more presentable, go ahead, I'm still leaving." Krystal walked out the door and seemingly out of his life.

Fox never felt so alone. "_**I don't understand anything anymore.**_" He heard Falco stir and groan. Their eyes met briefly before Falco collapsed back onto the floor. "**_In this world that I'm tired of_.**"

"Have a good night?" he asked willing his body back to sleep.

"And a hell of a morning." Was all Fox could muster before he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

**2 Weeks Later**

Fox walked away from the Cornerian Army Headquarters with a disappointed look. Since Krystal left he'd been focused on cleaning up his act. He needed a mission to help clear his mind, however, nothing had come up. His body taunted him, telling him that a drink would ease his pain. He fought against it; he knew nothing good would come out of it. He needed someone to talk to; someone to help convince him that drinking wasn't the answer to life's problems, and that being a hopeless drunk wouldn't let him be the leader he needed to be.

Before he realized where he was headed he stopped. He looked up at the apartment complex that towered over him. "This is Katt's apartment building… I wonder if she's home, she normally gives good advice." Fox stepped towards the doors, taking in the greys and blacks of the small foyer. He entered the elevator and hit the floor number Katt lived on. The quiet hum of the elevator gave Fox the time to further plot out his new sobriety. 'I haven't visited Katt in the longest time I wonder how she's doing with…' Then it hit him, Krystal lived with Katt now. His mind panicked, he didn't want to let Krystal see him now, he tried frantically to stop the elevator. "Krystal was a great listener too." He laughed. 'Fates path, _**is taking me right up theses walls, that i climb up to get to your story.**_"

The situation he had gotten himself into?

_**Was anything but ordinary.**_

He thought about the times he'd had, not just with Krystal, but with Star Fox as a whole.

_**And when the world is on its knees with me is fine**_

They had saved Corneria from destruction so many times, risking their lives for peace. They received a hero's welcome upon their arrival back, celebrations that lasted weeks. He knew that was when his addiction became just that. He tried to stop, tried to find something to stop the never ending beer fest. But no one helped, they only encouraged. He had rescued the system, and now he needed to be rescued.

_**And when I come to the rescue I get nothing but left behind.**_

He snapped out of his daydream in front of Katt's door, and went to knock. The door swung open, leaving him posed in an awkward position.

Katt nearly bumped in Fox as she left, she turned and gasped. "God damn it Fox, don't do that." Katt looked at Fox; he looked like he hadn't eaten in days. "How you been?"

"Katt I really need someone to talk to." Fox sounded more desperate then he wanted.

Katt felt pity for him, the once great leader of the Star Fox team, practically begging her to listen. "I have prior engagements I have to get to Fox." She tried to avoid his pleading eyes.

Fox made her look at him. "Please."

"I would stay Fox, but I have to get going. Falco said for me to meet him at the park." Katt moved out past him. "Krystal is home though, I'm sure she'll listen to you though." With that Katt headed to the elevator.

'_Falco wants her to go to the park… ha, Falco hates the parks. They really don't do a good job hiding their relationship._' Fox thought as he stared at where Katt was.

_**Everybody seems to be getting what they need with mine**_

"No they really don't, do they?" Fox turned to see Krystal leaning against the door frame.

"Krystal… Hey." Fox managed, he never could talk to her without stuttering. '_She looks just as beautiful as ever._' Krystal blushed a little bit, not used to receiving compliments from someone that had a chance with her, especially when we was sober. Fox couldn't help but stare at her, trying to get every detail of her sketched into his mind.

**_'Cause your what I need so very but I'm anything but ordinary_**

"In or out?" Krystal broke Fox's trance. Fox shook his head and gave her a questioning look. "In or out?"

"In." Fox walked in past Krystal and fell onto the living room couch.

"So what brings you here?" Krystal asked taking a seat across from Fox.

"I need some serious help…" Fox held his head in his hands. "Since you left I haven't had a drop of alcohol in me. I've been going to Pepper to see if he had missions." He took a calming breath, trying to sort out his thoughts. "My body is telling me all I need is a drink, my mind is telling me to resist."

"Well, what's winning?" Krystal's bluntness surprised Fox, she was never they 'get to the point' kind of person when he asked her to listen to him.

Fox looked defeated. "My body…" it shamed him to admit it. "_**Can you save me from this world of mine? Before I get myself arrested with this expectation!**_" He slid off the couch and onto his knees. "Everyone wants me to be a leader, someone people can look up to, aspire to be. When we beat the aparoids I guess I became that person. We had a time of peace Lylat hadn't seen before, Star Wolf had helped us, and they were no longer considered a major threat, Andross was destroyed, Oikonny hadn't been heard of since we defeated him. Everyone could actually relax. I guess I became too relaxed, too accustomed to the gifts people sent us."

"They did send us a lot of free samples." Krystal remembered the hundreds of bottles of samples they received. "Those were supposed to last longer than a month."

"I just can't remember why they kept sending them." Fox racked his brain. He remember one of the more social times he drank, Krystal and him were sipping at one of the free wine samples. One she claimed to like enough to possibly order more. '_**You are the one, look what you've done**_ _to me… if you hadn't kept ordering those…_' Fox's anger quickly faded, he knew Krystal could hear his thoughts, and it wasn't time to pin his problems on anyone else. "_**What have you done?**_"

"_**This is not some kind of joke**_ is it? What haven't I done to try and keep you sober?" Krystal tried to control her emotions, she knew Fox didn't want an outlet for his problems, he wanted to fix them, but she wasn't going to be blamed for his addiction. "You don't even remember half the shit you said to me those nights you were so fucked up that I had to help you move." That grabbed Fox's attention.

"What, what did I say?" Fox didn't really want to hear how much of an ass he made of himself, but if anything Krystal said did, it would help him stay sober."

"Where to start?" Krystal thought about it, laughing a bit to herself. "Well, you called me all sorts of stupid little pet names, told me I was worthless one night."

"Worthless? Why would I ever say that?" Fox thought out loud. The fact he had insulted her alone fueled his desire to quit.

"When I took away your supply of booze." Krystal held back tears, that memory was still fresh. "The night I decided to leave.

In a flash the scene played in Fox's mind.

He stumbled towards Krystal; she looked frightened to say the least. He was so enraged that she would just throw perfectly drinkable beer out the window. "You stupid, worthless… _**You're just a kid; you weren't ready for what you did!**_" He made to backhand her, but in his drunken state he missed and fell, hitting his head off of the side of a couch and passing out.

Back in reality, Fox noticed Krystal crying, he moved to comfort her, but she pushed him away. Fox stood next to her, looking out of the window behind the chair Krystal occupied. He watched a few Army vessels fly in the distance, no doubt a new recruit flying it by the speed and choppy reactions. He smiled as he watched, longing for the skies.

"You know what I miss most about flying?" Krystal didn't answer, they both hadn't had to touch their arwings since the aparoid war. "Having a reason to get up every morning, to go off on some adventure, saving people I've never met before, having the team being called heroes."

_**And when the world is on its knees with me its fine**_

"But I guess the best thing about flying, is the crew you fly with. I miss spending time with people I care about the most in this world." Fox held this in his heart for far too long. "Star Fox is more than a mercenary team; it's my family, one I protect… And when I started drinking, at the time I didn't realize who I was forcing away."

_**And when I come to the rescue I do it for you time after time.**_

"There was something else you said…" Krystal whispered, as she wiped her tears away. "Something I've always wanted to hear from you. But I knew it had to have been the beer talking because you're way too shy to outright tell me…" **'_'Cause your what I need so very but I'm anything but ordinary_.'**

Fox hugged her, this time he wasn't pushed away. "The best part about having a team…" he whispered. "Is how supportive they are, and how you could never live without them." Krystal finally returned his hug. "I don't think I could survive without you. I know that saving Lylat was for the good of the people but…** _I think I'm trying to save the world for you._**"

'_That night, you told me you loved me… even if you were drunk, made me happier then I had been in years._'Krystal hugged him tighter._ "_I want you to stay sober Fox… I'll lock you in a room if I have to._"_

Fox smiled._ '_**_You've been saving me, too_.**_'_

A question floated in the open space between them. One that didn't need answering in words.

"**_We could just stay in and save each other_.**" Krystal pulled back, as did Fox.

"I would love too." Their lips met softly, letting their bodies give every ounce of passion they could muster dance across their connection. "I think I remember telling you now."

"I thought you would." Krystal giggled. "Because that night you weren't drunk, Slippy and I swapped out the beer for cola."

"But how did I have a wicked hangover and wake up next to you?" Fox scratched his head, and pulled Krystal over to the couch and sat down on it feeling her snuggle up to him.

"How indeed." Was all she said before kissing him again. "Want some Lunch?" Fox nodded and followed her to the Kitchen.

_**I'm anything but ordinary (Ordinary)**_

_**I'm anything but ordinary(Ordinary)**_

'_I think I have a new addiction now.'

* * *

_

_Alrighty, this will be my last song fic for a while.(A little spaced out in some places but i think it turned out alright) Will hopefully start doing a new story with an actual plot that isn't based off a game or 'non-true' star fox style. That said the next story will be more action focused and less on romance and fluff and all that good stuff *Zing, that rhymed!* I'll keep you guys updated! _

_Star Fox characters copyright Nintendo_

_Song copyright to Train  
_

_Peace,_

_H-T_


End file.
